photo credit: Josef Jasso
There is no voice as distinctive in alt-dance-rock than Kate Pierson’s. Just ask Iggy Pop, Jack White, and R.E.M., all of whom enlisted her vocal contributions for such memorable tracks as “Candy,” “Venus,” and “Shiny Happy People,” respectively. Best-known as a founding member of the singular, trailblazing B-52s, Pierson is beloved for her soaring vocals and ear-catching keyboards, at the forefront of the group for nearly 50 years. And now, nine years after her solo debut, 2015’s Guitars and Microphones, Pierson has crafted a diverse collection of her most personal songs yet on the infectious, emotive Radios and Rainbows, which recently dropped on September 20th via SVR. “It’s an eclectic group of songs,” says Pierson, “anthems, dance things, a disco song… Overall, the album has an upbeat vibe because I wanted to put out something positive in these dark times. I wanted to make it fun!”
Songwriting is nothing new to Pierson. As far back as her teens, she “had a folk group in high school called the Sun Donuts,” she recalls. “We wrote our own folk protest songs. I was very influenced by the folk movement in the ‘60s – that’s how I became politicized – hearing songs by Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and Phil Ochs.” Fast forward to the madcap B-52s, formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976, which turned New Wave music on its head, eventually scoring multi platinum success and gaining millions of fans.
Yet between B52s recording sessions, movie appearances, and lengthy tours, Pierson longed to cut her own songs she’d been writing. “When the Bs were touring all the time and doing so much work, it felt like such a family dynamic,” Pierson explains. “To me, it would’ve been a betrayal if I’d done something on my own outside the B-52s. It was a prison created by my own mind.” Finally, during the band’s brief hiatus in the late ‘90s, she wrote and recorded enough songs for a solo album. “But our manager put the kibosh on it,” she says, “because he worried that our label Warner Bros. would object.”
To fulfill her musical vision across a dozen tracks on Radios and Rainbows, Pierson collaborated with a variety of songwriters and producers to bring her lyrics and sonic ideas to life. She and Sia, along with producer/bassist Samuel Dixon, cooked up the spooky, rockin’ “Every Day Is Halloween,” originally released as a single with a haunting video on Friday the 13th of October 2023. The catchy, singalong melody features a beautiful blend of the women’s voices, angular guitar, and a propulsive beat.
A portrait of the many sides of Kate Pierson, Radios and Rainbows has compelled the singer-songwriter “to do more live shows,” she says. With stripped-down accompaniment, Pierson plans to perform at intimate venues and “let the emotions and the feelings of the songs come through, showcasing my vocals.”
